[RTTY] Digital DXCC or ARRL Board of Directors, respectfully: have my strong disagreement

[Michael Haack]

  And is all VOICE.. ;O)



On 08/02/2011 7:07 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
>
> No, Mike ... it is the equivalent of AM being changed to Phone.
> ... and it's already that way.   Remember, "Phone" includes AM,
> SSB. FM, SSTV, DV and FSTV.
>
> 73,
>
>    ... Joe, W4TV
>
>
>
> On 8/2/2011 7:47 PM, Michael Haack wrote:
>> No Joe, Its NOT inevitable.
>>
>> It was a Choice somebody made.
>> Its equivalent to the PHONE award being changed to VOICE.
>>
>> And I wonder how far that would get.
>>
>> 73, Mike WB9B
>>
>>
>> On 08/02/2011 6:40 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
>>> > I agree. This is a mistake. RTTY is a fundamental and historical
>>> > mode. CW, SSB, RTTY. Dropping it in favor of a generic Digital tag
>>> > does not provide proper respect for a core mode.
>>>
>>> While I also mourn the loss of the "RTTY" DXCC, it is a change that is
>>> inevitable. Even the "SSB" DXCC is not "SSB" DXCC - it is "Phone"
>>> DXCC (check your certificates if you have one and look at the DXCC
>>> page on the ARRL web site. Just as the "RTTY" (now "Digital") DXCC
>>> accepts confirmations using a wide variety of digital encoding -
>>> from IAT2 ("RTTY") in various data rates, to PSK, QPSK, AMTOR/PACTOR,
>>> at their various rates to "strange" modes like MFSK, JT-modes, etc.
>>> so to does the "Phone" DXCC accept many forms or analog modulation
>>> - from double sideband with carrier "AM" to SSB, FM, and even SSTV
>>> and probably digital voice.
>>>
>>> "RTTY" has not been an accurate name for the RTTY DXCC for many - maybe
>>> 20 (?) years. I'm sure there were as many complaints from many of the
>>> old-timers when the "AM" DXCC was changed to "phone" - certainly there
>>> were complaints when confirmations using "SSB" were first accepted
>>> (after all, SSB had that 10 dB advantage over AM - it was unfair).
>>>
>>> I am happy my "Digital" DXCC says RTTY and I don't intend to change it
>>> - but it's time to recognize what has been happening for a long time.
>>> Several of my confirmations are digital modes other than ITA2 - even
>>> though I've worked all of the entities using "RTTY" - since some of
>>> the "RTTY" operators simply would not QSL over the years while newer
>>> "digital" operators don't seem to be so pecuniary!
>>>
>>> 73,
>>>
>>> ... Joe, W4TV
>>
>>
>